Intra‐firm decision‐maker perceptions of relocation risks

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the risk perceptions of persons responsible for business relocation. Design/methodology/approach The empirical material consists of interviews in companies that have considered relocation seriously or have recently relocated. The empirical material is augmented by a literature review. Findings The risk perceptions can be divided into five categories. These are: financial risks, functional risks, corporate culture risk, interest group risk and future risk. Practical implications When a company relocates, the stress and anxiety of the persons responsible for the process should be considered. Also, when doing relocation‐related business, reducing relocation risks should be considered when planning the business model and marketing. Originality/value This paper combines relocation literature in a multi‐disciplinary manner and adds empirical understanding of the phenomena in question.